Axar Patel Named As Delhi Capitals Captain
Before IPL 2025, the left-handed all-rounder Axar Patel has been appointed the captain of the Delhi Capitals team. He has played 82 matches for the Capitals since he joined the franchise in 2019 and will replace Rishabh Pant, who moved to Lucknow Super Giants in the mega auction.
Axar was captain of DC for one match in the 2024 season against RCB, which DC lost when Pant could not play due to a ban for slow over-rate. Axar has also led Gujarat in 16 T20 matches and was also elevated to T20I vice-captaincy earlier this year. Pant wasn’t among the DC’s retentions as the wicketkeeper-batter opted for the auction and was finally purchased for a whopping INR 27 Crore by LSG.
Axar is DC’s most expensive retention at INR 16.5 Crore and comes with vast experience of 274 T20 matches since making his debut in short format 12 years ago. In these matches, he has scored 3088 runs, with 8 half-centuries, and taken 239 wickets, one of which was a hat-trick in 2016 while playing for Punjab team in IPL.
Speaking about his appointment, Axar expressed: “It is an absolute honour to captain the Delhi Capitals, and I remain forever grateful to our owners and support staff for having faith in me. During my journey here in the Capitals, I have grown as a cricketer and as a human being, and I think I am ready as well as confident to lead this team into the future.
“Our coaches and scouts have worked quite well during the mega auction to compose a team which is well balanced and robust and with great potential. We have a lot of leaders in the group which is also quite helpful for me, and I cannot wait to join the team as we move toward what I hope will be a very successful season for the Capitals, supported by the tremendous love and support of our fans.”
DC chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi commented on the new captain: We are really delighted to appoint Axar to lead the Delhi Capitals as captain. He has been an integral part of the Capitals family since 2019 and embodies the values that this team is built on. This decision reflects his natural progression as a leader- from being our vice-captain for two seasons to now leading the team; he has always risen to the occasion for us.
Axar has the full support of our coaching staff and the experienced leadership group and I wish him all the best for his new role; I am confident it will be a job he excels in. Co-owner of DC, Parth Jindal, added: Having personally picked Axar in 2019, my relationship with him goes beyond cricket. After seeing him as our Vice-Captain over the last two years, it is safe to say that he is a well-liked character in the dressing room and someone I am sure will motivate everyone in the squad.
From being an economical spinner who based himself with just one spell, Axar came to bloom into a mature cricketer and were seen in Australia’s T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy-winning campaigns recently.
“I wish him all the best as he takes another new innings in his career in cricket. With the likes of KL Rahul, Faf du Plessis, and Mitchell Starc being the key parts of our leadership group, I think this will be the start of something special for the Delhi Capitals.” DC will start its IPL 2025 campaign on March 24 at home in Visakhapatnam against the LSG, a side captained by LSG’s former skipper Pant.
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